Exploring the Role of the Non-Coding Strand: Antisense Transcription and Gene Regulation

The growing research on antisense transcription has revealed the importance of cellular function in gene regulation. As the prevalent, unappreciative regard of the non-coding strand has shifted, the investigation of the transcript and the process of antisense transcription itself has come upon. Utilizing RNA-Seq and NET-Seq datasets, the general trend of sense and antisense transcription was depicted with sense transcription showing a rise near the transcription start site and antisense transcription rates forming a gradual valley throughout the genes. In addition, the MNase-Seq and ChIP-Seq datasets were utilized to discover that nucleosome levels near the antisense transcription region do not drop significantly compared with sense transcription regions. However, as transcription factors and H3K4me3 levels rise when antisense transcription rates are high, they also show a positive correlation. All correlations between antisense transcription and regulatory factors show natural antisense transcripts’ role in gene regulation.